How to Survive Your First Week As a Freshman

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So it's finally your freshman year, and you have no idea what you're doing! Follow the steps in this article to avoid getting made fun of and have a great start to your high school life.

Be prepared. Ask your parents, siblings, or friends who have already started high school how their first week was and if there is anything they would have re-done. Go to all orientation opportunities that your school offers and make sure you take a tour. Get a school map and study it. When you get your schedule, highlight the best routes on your map to all of your classes. Talk to friends who are also going into high school this year about how you are feeling so that you know you're not the only one.

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Get the gear. About a week before school, make sure you have all the school supplies you need. Most schools won't tell you what you need until the actual first day but you'll probably need a backpack, a binder, pens and pencils, and a notebook for each of your classes.

Be up to date on fashion. You'll want to stay under the radar as a freshman, and hope that nobody will know you are one. This is easy if you wear things that are in style, because there's nothing that screams freshman more than someone who dresses like a sixth grader. Of course, always dress in what makes you feel good!

Clean your room the night before. Make sure all of your school supplies are in your backpack, and lay out your outfit for the next day. Try to relax that night and try not to worry too much about the next day, because if you follow this guide everything will be okay for you. Go to bed about an hour or half an hour earlier than you usually would to allow some chill time in bed if you can't fall asleep.

Get up a half an hour earlier than you usually would to allow time for emergencies. A good amount of time is usually two hours. Shower, do your hair and makeup, get dressed, make sure everything is packed. If you can, try to get a parent to drive you to school on the first day, it will relieve added stress that a bus might cause, especially if you have never ridden the bus to school before.

Make sure to get there at least fifteen minutes early. Locate your locker and your first class. You don't have to go inside and sit down yet, try taking a quick walk around campus to see if any of your friends or people you know are there yet, or maybe try to make some new friends. It's easier to survive high school if you have friends!

Be confident. Walk with your head up and if you happen to make eye contact with anyone while walking down the hall, smile at them. When talking to new people make sure to make eye contact and speak up. Don't mumble. If a teacher asks you to say something about yourself so the class gets to know you, tell them your name, what school you used to go to, and one of your hobbies.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you are lost, approach an older looking student and ask for directions. It's not embarrassing if you are confident and calm about it, they will respect your confidence!

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 13 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 9,874 times.